La Liga: Weekend’s biggest event is Sociedad vs Athletic Bilbao derby

• 17th round of games begins on Friday night with Celta Vigo vs Villarreal.
• Getafe host Espanyol, who are two points above the relegation zone.
• Cadiz play Elche, who defeated Valencia away last weekend.

This weekend’s La Liga schedule has been condensed to just eight games since FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have commitments to the Spanish Super Cup being contested in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

There is still significant action in Spain despite the postponement of Real Madrid’s match against Valencia and Barca’s league match versus Betis.

The match between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club Bilbao in San Sebastian will receive more attention.

The two teams will compete for more than just local honours because they both hope to advance to the UEFA Champions League the following year. Real Sociedad’s position as the underdogs in this year’s title competition would be strengthened by a victory as it would bring them to within three points of Real Madrid and six points of Barcelona.

The 17th round of games begins on Friday night with Celta Vigo, who defeated Villarreal at home last weekend in Elche to earn a significant victory.

Following their victory against Real Madrid last weekend and their recent run of five victories across all competitions, Villarreal has finally gotten used to Quique Setien’s passing style of play and will go to Vigo.

Arnaut Danjuma, the team’s striker, is a potential weakness because he has been heavily linked to a transfer to the Premier League.

The season of Valladolid has been hampered by a run of three losses, but they have an opportunity to turn things around at home against Rayo Vallecano. Last weekend, Rayo lost to Betis at home, but the good news for manager Andoni Iraola was that Raul de Tomas, who had returned to the team from Espanyol in the summer, was finally fit to play. This should give Rayo’s attack more edge.

Last Saturday, Sevilla’s win over Getafe at home, their third of the season, lifted them out of the bottom three. Jorge Sampaoli’s team can build off that victory.

Last Monday in Bilbao, Osasuna’s tough defensive effort got them a point, but coach Jagoba Arrasate needs to see more from Kike Garcia and Ante Budimir in attack if they are to win their home game against Mallorca.

When Getafe hosts Espanyol on Sunday afternoon, there will be a sense of urgency. Due to Getafe’s defeat to Sevilla, Quique Sanchez Flores’ team is now only two points above the relegation zone, and Espanyol is now second from the bottom of the standings after Girona’s dramatic comeback last week, according to Xinhua.

The major hope for Diego Martinez‘s team remains striker Joselu, who has nine of Espanyol’s 19 league goals this season.

Joao Felix, a striker for Atletico Madrid, is out for the journey to the southeast to play Almeria after completing a loan move to Chelsea for the remainder of the season. After his altercation with Ferran Torres of Barcelona, central defender Stefan Savic is serving the first of a two-game suspension, which will be a significant blow for the Atletico defence.

Monday’s last encounter pits third-from-last Cadiz against bottom-place Elche at home. Elche is still waiting for their first victory of the year, while Cadiz, who defeated Valencia away last weekend, will almost surely move out of the relegation zone with three points.

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